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University of Virginia entrepreneurship

Review the documented university identity, entrepreneurship programs, and sources connected to University of Virginia.

Founded
1819
Rankings that list it
7 of 13 tracked

Online destinations

Find University of Virginia online

Where to find this organization online, grouped by who runs each page. A link here does not mean the organization controls it.

Official links

Pages the organization runs itself.

Startup and research standing

Where University of Virginia stands

in PitchBook University Rankings: Undergraduate Founders
#28
2026
alumni founders, 562 companies
599
2026
raised by those companies
$47.9B
2026
university rankings list it
7 of 13
Rankings ledger
Rankings that list University of Virginia
RankingEditionPositionSince last editionTrustWhat it measures
Financial Times Global MBA Ranking2026#19No prior editionBPrestige, Performance, People
PitchBook University Rankings: MBA Founders2025#28No changeBActivity, Talent, Ecosystem
PitchBook University Rankings: Undergraduate Founders2026#28Up 3BActivity, Talent, Ecosystem
PitchBook University Rankings: Female Founders2026#29Down 4BActivity, Talent, Ecosystem
PitchBook University Rankings: Graduate Founders2025#42Down 2BActivity, Talent, Ecosystem
CWUR World University Rankings (Global 2000 List)2026#75No prior editionBResearch, Prestige, Talent
Nature Index Research Leaders2026#196No prior editionBResearch
Positions come from each publisher's edition. Open a ranking for its method and trust notes, or an edition for the full list.

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Connected organizations

Around University of Virginia

  1. 01Research

    Faculties, labs and teams

  2. 02Community

    Student and founder groups

Overview

The University of Virginia (UVA) has a thriving startup and venture capital (VC) ecosystem. The Entrepreneurship and Venture Capital Club (EVCC) at UVA's Darden School of Business is a prominent player in this ecosystem, helping student entrepreneurs connect with venture capitalists, providing them with resources such as venture capital case studies and helping them refine their pitch decks.

One of the successful UVA alumni is Alexis Ohanian, co-founder of Reddit, a popular social news aggregation, web content rating, and discussion website. Ohanian graduated from UVA in 2005 with degrees in commerce and history. Reddit has become one of the most visited websites in the world, and Ohanian's success illustrates the potential of UVA graduates in the startup ecosystem.

Besides individual successes, UVA has initiated programs like the iLab (Innovation Lab) Incubator program managed by the Batten Institute at the Darden School of Business. The program provides a collaborative environment for UVA-affiliated startups, offering office space, mentorship, and a $5,000 grant without taking any equity. Since 2012, iLab has supported over 200 ventures.

Additionally, the Galant Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship offers several initiatives to UVA students, including the E-Cup competition, which is a University-wide initiative that seeks to enrich and enhance the culture of innovation and entrepreneurship at the University.

Another important player in UVA's startup ecosystem is the UVA Seed Fund, which provides funding to UVA-affiliated startups. The fund seeks to encourage and support entrepreneurship within the UVA community by providing early-stage capital to promising ventures.

Despite these rich resources, the UVA ecosystem is not limited to the campus. Charlottesville, where UVA is located, has a thriving entrepreneurial scene as well. Numerous startup companies have bloomed in the city, making it a hub of innovation and entrepreneurship. The presence of UVA has played a crucial role in cultivating this environment.

Ranked near University of Virginia in PitchBook University Rankings: Undergraduate Founders

Similar universities

University of Virginia compared with universities ranked near it
#UniversityFoundersCompaniesRaisedRaised per company
23McGill University721662$30.3B$45.8M
24Brown University703654$51.1B$78.1M
24Northwestern University703650$33.2B$51.1M
26Tsinghua University678628$75.5B$120.2M
27Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi640546$55.7B$102.0M
28University of Virginia, CharlottesvilleThis page599562$47.9B$85.2M
29Hebrew University598523$22.9B$43.8M
30Carnegie Mellon University594550$30.1B$54.7M
31University of Washington, Seattle587536$204.8B$382.1M
32Brigham Young University585486$14.6B$30.0M
33Georgia Institute of Technology568504$18.6B$36.9M
PitchBook University Rankings: Undergraduate Founders, 2026. Raised per company is total raised divided by companies.

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